


Drop Anchor

by titania522



Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: Bathing Suits, Fishing, Fluff, Gen, Love, Modern AU, One Shot, Proposals, Reconciliation, boat smut, fishing rods, mores2sl, ocean smut, six weeks, what else should I even put here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2019-02-01 11:50:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12704421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/titania522/pseuds/titania522
Summary: Life is complicated, even for two people who love each other as much as Katniss and Peeta do. But when things become too much, sometimes you have to cut your engine, drop anchor and find your way back to each other again.Rated M: Mature (Yes, there’s smut)Written for MoreS2SL (you should really contribute and get the collections, y'all)





	Drop Anchor

**Banner by the amazing[akai-echo](http://www.akai-echo.tumblr.com) (which you could see it but Photobucket is being dumb. Head over to [here ](http://titaniasfics.tumblr.com/post/163378564140/mores2sl-snippet-drop-anchor)to see the amazing work by one of the best banner makers ever!)**

**Drop Anchor**

Katniss grasped the rope of the rigging, dragging it through the steel loop at the stern of the sailboat.  Yanking it upwards before tying the knot, she shouted over her shoulder, “Adjust bearing, southeast!” She had the view of the boating lanes, while Peeta manned the sails, following the indication of the wind from his place near the offboard motor. As soon as they cleared the buoys, he would cut the engine and steer the  _ SeaJay  _ out of the inlet and onto the open Gulf.

 

“We caught the wind!” he shouted back, adjusting the mainsail to nudge the boat in the direction Katniss had indicated. The giant, patched jib billowed out in a display she never tired of seeing. An enormous, canvas triangle bulged under the insistent pressure of the wind, coming to life as Peeta coaxed it the way he coaxed bread to rise or cookie designs to take shape. When they passed the inlet markers, he cut the engine, the whirring sound dwindling to silence. The swishing of water as the boat sliced through the sea, and the click of the rigging against the metal links that held the sails in place were the only sounds to be heard.

 

“The weather’s going to be perfect,” Katniss said as she stepped down into the stern and took the seat next to Peeta. The sky beyond the sail was a brilliant blue, without a cloud as far as the eye could see, but it had nothing on Peeta’s blue eyes, which now glittered with the excitement of getting the boat out to sea, an excitement she well understood.  It had been a stressful semester as he struggled to get back into the rhythm of studying after taking a year off to help his ailing father while Katniss tried to stay above water with her PhD program and teaching assistantship. When the school year came to a close, they realized they were in desperate need of decompression.

 

Peeta continued to man the sail, making adjustments while Katniss dipped into the cabin to fetch two beers out of the small refrigerator. 

 

“Thanks,” he said when she handed him his beer. They clinked their bottles together and took a long drag. She glanced at her watch and looked up at the sun’s position. “I booked a place in Pelican Cove for tonight. We have more than enough time to cast our lines.”

 

“I’ve always liked that marina,” Peeta said, setting his beer down in a holder and pulling up his fishing rod and tackle box. “You in the mood for fresh snook?”

 

Katniss laughed, tossing her head back to feel the wind on her face as they cruised through the gentle waves. “Last time you said that, all you caught were two slimy salt catfish.” She made a face at the thought of the whiskered fish which had nearly ruined their last expedition.

 

“But I caught that steelhead at the end.”

 

“Mmm, yeah, I remember the red potatoes and white wine sauce you made with it.” Katniss could just taste the nuttiness of the rosemarine and the tang of the wine.

 

Peeta chuckled, pulling out his bag of frozen sand fleas and hooking his bait onto the smaller pole. They’d brought the surf fishing rod but needed to catch the smaller fish they’d use as bait to lure in the big ones.

 

“That was no better than pier fishing. I got a feeling we’re gonna get lucky today.” Katniss pulled up her own line and worked on baiting it.

 

“Psst…” Peeta said, calling her attention away from her work. “I feel lucky already.”

 

“Mushbag,” she said but leaned forward to leave a kiss on his lips anyway. He said the corniest things but she never let on how much they made her heart flutter. “You keep that up, you’ll get lucky tonight.”

 

“That’s the plan.” His face broke into a parody of a sexy smile, which made her laugh even harder. This was different...and so much better than the nights of exhaustion, the studying, the jetting back and forth, past each other to get things done. Katniss had to study as well as teach two freshman biology classes. Peeta worked at his parent’s bakery and managed a full-time course load. The apartment was close to school, which made it possible for Katniss to bike to her classes, freeing up their only car so Peeta could get to work. With the hectic schedules came the senseless bickering that occurred when two people were brought to the edge by life.

 

“I’ve missed this,” Peeta’s voice cut through her thoughts, his words nearly getting lost in the wind. 

 

“How do you always know what I’m thinking?”

 

He shrugged. “My superpower, I guess, together with my irresistible good looks and magnetic personality.”

 

“Oh, lord,” she drawled, rolling her eyes. He returned to his line, tying the lead and hook. She took his moment of distraction to admire him - the broad set of his shoulders and chest, straining under the t-shirt emblazoned with the emblem of the local surf shop, his swim shorts which lay just above the knee, masking strong, defined thighs. She set her pole aside and knelt between his thighs. “I mean it. I was just thinking how much I missed being alone with you, without a deadline or something else in the way. It’s been months since we’ve had any peace.”

 

Peeta reached out to run a hand along her braid, flicking the tip with his thumb. “We should get away more often. We're always at our best when we’re on our own.”

 

Katniss nodded, reaching up to lace her fingers through the hairs at the nape of his neck. She pulled him down, capturing his bottom lip in hers, licking the delicate skin before deepening the kiss. Heat spread through her, a prickly warmth that had nothing to do with the sun. The fingers of her other hand crept over his thigh, skittering under the hem of his shorts to trace circles on the skin beneath. His hard muscles twitched in time with their kiss. When she pulled back, she ached from the distance. 

 

“Wanna drop anchor?”

 

Peeta’s lips fell open, his nostrils flaring. He was, like her, short of breath. “Yeah,” he choked out, swallowing hard before looking out over the water. “We’re far enough out.”

 

Peeta leaned towards the outboard motor and raised it, gently guiding the boat towards a small island, one of the many dotting the eastern coastline. He undid the winch that held the anchor in place while Katniss dutifully put their fishing poles in their holders, a task they would address later. She glanced over her shoulder, watching the muscles of Peeta’s back bunch as he worked the anchor, her tongue darting out to lick her lips in expectation before descending the narrow stairs into the cabin.

 

The boat was 25 feet long - small by most standards. Six people fit comfortably in the cleverly divided space. But the cabin itself was perfect for the two of them. Katniss moved past the table and padded bench, with its multiple compartmentalized spaces for storage and their few appliances hidden behind and under the wood. She bypassed a tiny radio, and a miniature sink to maneuver toward the bow, where their bed lay on a raised platform separated from the remaining space by a sheer curtain that she pushed aside. The bed was still perfectly made, the way she’d prepared it before setting out. 

 

She kicked off her sandals and turned in time to see Peeta descend the small stairs, his body stealing all the space in the room. Leaning against the mattress, which came up to mid-thigh, she watched him pause to observe her waiting patiently near their berth. The gentle rise and fall of the waves pressed in on the boat, causing it to rock steadily under their feet. Katniss smirked as she pushed away from the bed and peeled off her clothes, dropping her shorts and bikini top on a wooden ledge near her elbow. Peeta’s eyes became smokey with lust as he followed her every move. When she hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her swim bottoms and shimmied out of them, he bit his lip, still frozen in place.

 

Katniss leaned back, hiking herself onto the mattress. Crooking her forefinger, she indicated to Peeta, “Come here.”

 

Waking from his stupor, he pulled his shirt off, dropped his shorts and walked towards her, nearly tripping as he tried in once graceless move to do both at once. Katniss smirked but kept herself from laughing. However, all levity vanished when Peeta dug his fingers into her hips, dragging her bottom to the end of the bed. Peeta, with the quick smile and the twinkling, laughing eyes, was now serious, watching her like a bird of prey, ready to dive into the waters. Katniss ached to kiss him, and reached up to pull him to her, slipping her tongue impatiently into his mouth. His response was to plunder her mouth before he pulled back and knelt before her open legs.

 

“Don’t move,” he ordered before leaning in and plunging his tongue inside. Her entire body jolted with pleasure as she cried out but he only gripped her harder, holding her in place. He bypassed every pretense of gentleness as his tongue ravaged her, moving with a speed and force that took her by surprise. He knew her body and had brought it within moments to the edge of coming apart.

 

“No,” she whimpered when he pulled away. Turning her over, he bent her over so her elbows rested on the mattress. She needed him now, more than she’d ever needed anything. She needed to have him inside of her. Reading her body, the insistent backward press of her hips as she searched for him, he slid all the way home, holding himself in place as they became accustomed to his unexpected and deep penetration. It left them breathless. Katniss moaned from the feeling of fullness, clenching her muscles around him.

 

“Stop or I’ll come,” he hissed.

 

“Make me,” she answered, bracing herself for what was to come. He reared back in response to her challenge and rammed into her, pulling out and repeating his deep lunge until he picked up the pace. His powerful hips thrust from behind as he pounded against her, sweat bursting over both their skin. She clawed the blanket, gripping it for purchase as his hands crept forward to gasp a heavy breast, squeezing it, sending a jolt of electricity directly to the spot where they are joined. That mysterious coil inside of her tightened again, winding around itself until teeth bit down on her shoulder, pain the last nudge that sent her into the stratosphere. Like a dying star, she burst, pulling him along with her in the wake of her explosion. He thrust several more times until he finally stopped, resting his forehead between her shoulder blades.  

 

They shivered as their skin cooled. After a time, Peeta shifted, his nose nuzzling Katniss’s neck. “You see, this is why we never catch any fish.” He leaned back as Katniss shuffled onto the bed, where he maneuvered his large frame to lay alongside her. 

 

“I’d rather do this every single day. I never get tired of it.” She turned to look at him. “I never get tired of you.”

 

His eyes, which rested shut, opened to gaze at her with open adoration. He ran a hand along the length of Katniss’s body, his touch soothing and rhythmic, like the waves that caressed the boat on all sides. He paused at her hip, squeezing it. “You sure? Absolutely positive?”

 

Katniss nodded, her confession moving her more deeply than she’d anticipated. “You’re the one person, besides Prim, who I’m sure I love.”

 

Peeta’s face changed in spectacular fashion, softening and brightening at the same time. It was like a powerful but gentle beam of light that filled her entire being until she was reflecting it back at him. She couldn’t help but smile in return. Without warning, he rolled off the bed and ducked under the platform, the sound of shuffling provoking Katniss’s curiosity. She bent over the edge to ascertain exactly what he was doing and nearly bumped her head against his.

 

“Sorry!” she said, pulling back sharply.

 

“You’re so impatient,” he grumbled but there was no bite to his words. He crawled onto the bed again, his happiness of earlier tinged with a heavy cloud of anxiety, causing Katniss to become worried.

  
“Hey, are you okay?” she asked, rubbing his arm as if to comfort a child.

 

“Yeah...No…” he frowned, glancing at her with eyes wide with...was it fear?  “I...God, these last months have been hard as hell. I never thought going back to school and managing our lives would be so complicated, you know?”

 

Katniss leaned back, the fear she saw in his eyes creeping up her back. “Yeah, they’ve been rough but…” she trailed off with uncertainty.

 

“There were days where I thought I wasn’t going to pull it off.” Peeta rubbed his hand over his face, something he did when he was nervous. Katniss had a sudden, horrible thought.

 

“Are you breaking up with me?” she asked in a tiny voice which nonetheless ricocheted off the walls of the tiny cabin.

 

Peeta’s eyes grew, if possible, even wider than before. “Are you crazy?”

 

“Well, what the hell do you expect me to think, the way you’re talking!”

 

“I’m not...I’ll never let you go!” he retorted. “I’m here trying to propose and you think I want to break up with you?”

 

“Propose?” Katniss asked, everything in her body going numb at once.

 

“Yeah!” Peeta appeared to shrink in on himself. “I didn’t really want it to go that way but okay.” He pulled out a small box he’d kept hidden behind his back. “All I was trying to say was that, even though things were hard, I never felt like you’d given up on me. No matter how stressed out I was, you were always the last thing I wanted to see each night and the first thing I want to see each morning.” He opened the box to reveal a small, twinkling solitaire. “It isn’t much - maybe one day I’ll get you something bigger, but…”

 

“It’s perfect,” Katniss breathed, taking the box in her hand and examining the delicate ring. “Everything is perfect.”

 

“No, it’s not. It’s not perfect.” Peeta pulled the ring out of the box and held it between fingers that looked like they could bend the metal to nothing. “That’s what I’m trying to say, in the most bungled way ever, that even though our life is a little tough right now, I can’t imagine going through it with anyone else.” He took her left hand and held the ring suspended before her. “Would you do me the honor of marrying me, Katniss?

 

Katniss gave a small smile, begging herself not to cry. These last months had been intense, some days ending with bone-numbing exhaustion and self-doubt on both their parts. But they had a way of sharing with each other, of unburdening their worries and dividing the load between them that kept them both going. Peeta didn’t need to fill every empty moment with words. He was gregarious where she was shy, and sociable when she was more reserved, but he also enjoyed his quiet moments. And they had had many of these times, moments that never made her feel alone, because they both understood what the other needed.

 

There were challenges, but she couldn’t imagine anyone else at her side other than Peeta. She’d been in it for the long haul, ever since the beginning, and marriage was simply the formality needed to face the world and lay claim to what was already hers.

 

“Yes...I’ll marry you,” she said, her last word ending in a sob she tried to contain as he slipped the ring onto her finger. 

 

Peeta’s eyes shined bright with happiness and the promise of tears, whispering “Good, good,” as he pulled her in for a sweet kiss, nothing like the passionate ones they’d shared earlier, though there was always that fire threatening to explode into a conflagration beneath everything they did. In point of fact, he pressed her back on the bed, the kiss evolving into something deeper, more insistent. 

 

When they pulled away for air, Katniss purred, wiggling beneath his hard body. “We’re not catching any fish today, are we?”

 

Peeta laughed, nipping the skin at the base of her neck. “I hear Pelican Cove’s got a waterfront restaurant that makes great fish and chips.”

 

Katniss wondered at them buying fish when they were sailing among the best fishing grounds in the world, but she couldn’t care less. She wrapped her legs around his waist, crossing her ankles behind to pin him in place. “And there’s always tomorrow,” she said, raking her nails down the pale skin of his back. His groans of pleasure and hard, insistent kisses were her reward. 

 

“You keep that up and we’ll spend the weekend docked right here. Fine pair of fishermen we’d make.”

 

Katniss shrugged, her body thrumming with want again, for him, for everything he had to offer. “It doesn’t matter. We have the rest of our lives to catch fish.”

 

**_I can’t express how grateful I am to akai-echo for the stupendous banner - you are incredibly talented, my friend! I also want to thank @eala-musings for being such a stout supporter of my writing and a dear friend. I am ever so grateful to you. And finally, an enormous thanks to MoreS2SL for charging forward and carrying on this important charity to raise money for a worthy cause. I’ve participated every year for the last five years, in both iterations, and have always found it to be a great honor for me. Thank you! And a million thanks to the contributors who bought into this collection._ **

 

**_Ps - for those of you who read Six Weeks, my collection from last year, there may be details you might recognize here :). It can be our little secret._ **

 


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